Emma screamed so loud that windows cracked across three dimensions.
She was still falling through the tear in reality when the family bond suddenly went cold. Not quiet. Not distant. Completely empty where Kael used to be.
"DADDY!"
The word ripped from her throat as golden light exploded from her body. The light was so bright that Shadow Emma, who had been reaching for her with dark claws, stumbled backward.
"What's happening?" Shadow Emma hissed. "This isn't possible!"
But Emma wasn't listening. She was drowning in pain so deep it felt like someone had torn out half her heart.
The golden light around her started to change. It turned silver, then white, then something beyond color. Something that made the space between dimensions shake.
Emma stopped falling. She was floating now, held up by power she didn't know she had.
"Daddy's gone," she whispered. Tears ran down her face, but each tear turned to light before it could fall. "He's really gone."
